Dos Santos dethroned the
American Kickboxing Academy ace with a 64-second knockout at
UFC on Fox 1 in November 2011. Velasquez, however, reclaimed his
title with a lopsided unanimous decision at UFC 155 a little more
than a year later. Now, they meet again to settle the score.

Sherdog.com touched base with a number of professional fighters and
trainers to gauge their opinions on the UFC 166 headliner:

Jason
Dent: I’m going with Cain on this one. Cain’s striking
is just as good as JDS’s. However, his wrestling and intense pace
will be too much for Junior in the rubber match. The first match
ended too quickly, but their second meeting showed who the better
fighter was, as Cain dominated from start to finish.

Michael
Guymon: I see each of them hunting and pecking in the
first round. Each of them is afraid of the other’s power: JDS’s
striking power and Cain’s wrestling power. JDS will be more
cautious about the takedown and distance, using good movement. Cain
gets caught pressing for a takedown in an exchange on the feet in
the second or third. Dos Santos wins by KO.

Benji
Radach: I think we will all see the best of both men.
I’m going to have to pull for Cain, though. I just think his
ability to control the fight and taking the fight anywhere he wants
for his own benefit, all while wearing down his opponents with
solid wrestling, is such a huge advantage. I don’t believe JDS can
hang with that unless it’s a one-hitter-quitter night again. Either
way, it’s going to be a fun one.

Mike
Ciesnolevicz: After watching both fights, I came to
the conclusion that Cain is probably the better fighter of the two.
The first fight can be considered lucky to a certain degree, as it
was a one-punch KO. The second fight tells the real tale, as it was
a five-round total domination. Cain treated JDS like a ragdoll. His
striking was better, his wrestling was better and his conditioning
was better. Unless JDS catches Cain early with a big shot, I think
we will see a repeat of the second fight. Cain is just a different
animal, with his well-rounded skills and off-the-charts
conditioning. The only critique you can make on Cain is he doesn’t
have great submission skills, or at least he hasn’t shown them in
the UFC. Cain will control where this fight takes place. JDS will
become fatigued trying to counter Cain’s wrestling attack.
Velasquez takes a unanimous decision.

Vinny
Magalhaes: First off, there is no such thing as a
lucky punch. Sometimes you just get punched and you get knocked
out. I still think Cain is a little more skilled than Junior. I
would love to see Junior win because I am Brazilian, too, and I
usually always cheer for fellow Brazilians unless I’m training a
fighter who is training to beat a Brazilian. I would like to see
Junior win, but I think Cain will win this the same way he did in
their last fight.

Brock
Jardine: The third match between the two best
heavyweights in UFC history, in my opinion, will come down to who
lands the first big punch. JDS did in the first meeting, and the
second went to Cain. I think this time JDS will land that first big
punch on Cain as he is moving in. I predict JDS wins by first-round
KO.

T.J.
Waldburger: Tough pick. I’m not sure on this one, but
I would bet to see the referee with his hand raised at the end.

Tom
DeBlass: This is a tough one. JDS can end any fight at
anytime. However, if Cain stays in his face, the fight should be
similar to last. Cain has cardio for days. Cain wins by
decision.

Cameron
Diffley: I am going with Cain in this fight. I think
dos Santos relies on being the quicker fighter, and a motivated
Cain is faster than a motivated dos Santos. Cain also brings more
tools standing, with being able to mix hands, feet and takedowns to
dictate where the majority of the fight is.

Photo:
Marcelo Alonso/Sherdog.com

Dos Santos toppled Velasquez once before.

Brian
Melancon: I have Velasquez by decision. He’s too
well-rounded and has too big of a gas tank. He has the cardio of
Clay
Guida but at heavyweight. You can’t top that.

Daniel
Downes: With each fighter owning one-sided wins over
the other, it’s hard to really gauge how this fight will go. JDS
has the power to drop Cain with one punch, but that’s the only real
weapon he has. I see Cain overwhelming dos Santos with his
wrestling and pace. He’ll stay in tight to avoid the power shot and
work his way to another unanimous decision win. It won’t be the
last time these two will fight, but at least we know their trilogy
will be better than “Blade: Trinity.”

J.J.
Ambrose: Cain’s work ethic is legendary, and he moves
like a lightweight with heavyweight power. JDS is an amazing
fighter, but Cain wins via third-round TKO, with his superior
wrestling and ground-and-pound.

Joe
Duarte: JDS has to KO Cain early to avoid getting
dragged into deep waters by Velasquez -- a heavyweight with the
energy of a 4-year old kid on caffeine. If JDS cannot KO Cain
early, it will be a lot like their second fight.

Andrew
Craig: We’ve now seen two lopsided fights with these
guys. I’m thinking the third is going to be much more competitive.
I think that Junior will find his range and put his hands on Cain,
unlike the second fight. I also think he’ll do a much better job
defending the takedown and getting back up. However, I think that
ultimately Cain will do what he does, turn this into one of those
fights that makes you tired to watch and take the decision.

Travis
Wiuff: Cain wins by the same domination he won in the
second fight: easy takedowns and beats him up on the cage. This
time, he finishes him in the fourth round.

Javier
Vazquez: This one could realistically go either way.
Dos Santos has the ability to finish Cain, and Cain can beat up dos
Santos for five rounds again. I usually go with the guy who has the
most explosive way to win, but it’s just hard to vote against Cain.
I say Cain stops him in the fourth round in a great fight.

Travis
Lutter: Well, the guys are 1-1, with two really
different fights. With that being said, I think Cain is the better
MMA fighter. Anything can happen, but I am going with Cain.

Mitch
Clarke: I’m picking Cain by unanimous decision. I
think it’ll play out pretty much the same as the second fight
did.

Chris
Clements: They are both well-rounded and tough as
nails. I’ll go with Cain. No explanation why.

Ray
Elbe: Cain is the best fighter in the world. Upsets
happen in MMA, but the better fighter usually wins most the time.
Cain will dominate the wrestling, while bouncing JDS’s head like an
Allen Iverson crossover in Philly for a TKO victory late.